Man Godfrey (1936) (Not Rated) – A “forgotten man”, down on his
luck and living in a city dump, is “discovered” by a rich young
woman who tries to change his life. Turns out there’s more to
Godfrey than she thought.
Directed by Gregory LaCava
Starring William Powell, Carole Lombard
Why I Liked It:
Powell and Lombard. Really, what more do you need?
Our two
stars are some of the greatest comic actors in the history of the
movies. Lombard perfected the ditzy blonde with the heart of gold
character. At the same time, her characters always felt human and
real. Meanwhile, William Powell brought a polish to characters that
felt like someone you could pal around with. He had a successful run
with a different blonde (Myrna Loy) in the “Thin Man” series of
movies. A short marriage ended several years before this movie, but
Powell thought that Lombard was the perfect choice here.
When
Irene Bullock (Lombard) pulls Godfrey (Powell) out of a literal
garbage dump to be the Bullock family’s new butler, she thinks it’s
a simple matter of helping an attractive man out. He had helped her
beat her older sister at something, a scavenger hunt, for the first
time in her life. For Godfrey’s part, he discovers the Bullocks are
a family-like few others. His predecessors kept their hats and coats
handy for a quick departure.
Powell steals the movie. I
don’t want this to sound dismissive, but Lombard is Lombard here.
That’s no small thing. Irene is a bit of an airhead, sensitive, and
very confused about how to deal with her growing feelings for her
“protege”. She is essential and delightful and the perfect foil
for Powell. But as Godfrey, a man with a past he is trying to forget,
Powell brings both exquisite comic timing and powerful human depth to
his work. Without risking a significant spoiler, there’s more to
Godfrey than meets the eye. He doesn’t belong with the other down
and outers in the dump, but he sees their humanity. They accept him
as one of their own, and he watches over them as he can. He does the
same for the Bullock family. They are long on expenses, short on
familial warmth. Their specialties are varieties of self-centered
lunacy. What they lack is a stable center, and Godfrey finds himself
in that role. A bulwark to the father, a comfort to the mother, a
challenge to the oldest daughter, and a true focus for the youngest
daughter. It’s not a role he seeks, nor always enjoys.
The
combination of Powell, Lombard, their supporting cast and director
Gregory LaCava turns into a movie I fell in love with. It would earn
six nominations for the Academy Awards (four acting, one directing
and one for the screenplay), and the reasons are clear from the first
moment. The movie is funny, touching and offers just the right touch
of social consciousness along the way. With more than 80 years
between its filming and today, “My Man Godfrey” feels very much
in tune with the times.
Rating – ***** Highest
Recommendation
Stories Are My Life 
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